1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toner, a method for forming a toner, a developer, and an image forming method.
2. Description of the Background
In recent years, an image forming method employing an electrophotographic system has been applied in a field that requires high speed printing of images of large imaging areas, such as offset printing. In such application of the image forming method, low temperature fixing ability, hot offset resistance, and heat resistance preservability of a toner are important.
There is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 11-44969 an electrophotographic toner produced by a production method including a step of dissolving or dispersing at least a binder resin, a colorant, and a releasing agent in an organic solvent to prepare an oil phase component, a step of dispersing the oil phase component in an aqueous medium for granulation. The binder resin used here contains a resin of non-linear molecular structure, and the releasing agent has an onset temperature of 40° C. or higher, and a melting point of 120° C. or lower as determined by DSC.
However, the disclosed toner has a problem that the releasing agent tends to pollute an inner area of a device for use when an image having a large imaging area is printed at high speed using this toner. In addition, it has a problem that when silica particles of large particle diameters are used as external additives, such silica particles having large particle diameter tends to deposit on a photoconductor.